1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a garment lock for use in connection with securing portable property against theft. The garment lock has particular utility in securing garments with a retractable wire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Garment locks are desirable to secure garments to a solid object in the absence of the garment""s wearer. Garments like coats and jackets increase in cost each year. At the same time, the risk of theft increases when the wearer has removed the garment and temporarily left it unattended in a public place. Lockers and coatrooms to secure valuable garments may inconvenience the wearer. Some restaurants and clubs have unattended coatrooms. Further, some restaurants, entertainment venues, and other places suitable for expensive garments lack a coatroom. This situation has made some people reluctant to wear their best garments in the event a wearer leaves a garment unattended. Even while wearing the garments, worries about security hamper the enjoyment of the wearer.
The use of other locks for garments is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,982 to Valley discloses an anti-theft device for garments. However, the Valley ""982 patent does not retract the chain into a compact case, and has further drawbacks of the device not attaching to a garment and no connection of the padlock to the chain.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,305 to Bakker discloses a security latch that has a flexible shackle that locks into the body of the padlock. However, the Bakker ""305 patent does not retract the shackle, and additionally does not attach to a garment.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,441 to Ray discloses a bicycle lock that has a retractable cable. However, the Ray ""441 patent does not removably secure the housing with tabs, and the bar clamp cannot readily detach from a bicycle frame.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,517 to Ling discloses a wire lock that self retracts wire. However, the Ling ""517 patent does not secure the reel with interlocking tabs and holes, does not release the wire with a button on the center of the reel, and cannot secure the wire to the outside of the casing.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 296,659 to Sakai discloses a combination lock that has a coiled cable. However, the Sakai Des. ""659 patent does not secure the cable to the outside of the case, and has the additional deficiency of requiring a wearer to remember a combination.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a garment lock that allows securing garments with a retractable wire. The Valley ""982 and the Bakker ""305 patents make no provision for retracting the chain. The Ray ""441 does not removably secure the housing. The Ling ""517 patent does not secure the wire to the outside of the casing. The Sakai Des. ""659 patent lacks an exterior connection of the cable to the case. Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved garment lock that can be used for securing garments with a retractable wire. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the garment lock according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of securing garments with a retractable wire.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of locks for garments now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved garment lock, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved garment lock and method which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a garment lock which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a garment lock with a casing, a post, a spool, a first spring, a second spring, a member flexible long and thin, a means to secure the member, and a means to lock the spool. The casing has a first side with a post, a second side with tabs, and a rim that joins both sides and has an exit for the member. On the outside of the first side, the casing has a means to attach the casing to a garment. Inside the casing, a post has a base centered on the insider of the first side of the casing and a free end extending into the casing. The free end does not reach the second side of the casing. The spool has a button in the center to move the spool along the post. The spool mounts upon the post and rotates within the casing. The first spring connects to the post and the spool, resisting the rotation of the spool. The second spring rests between the spool and the first side of the casing. The second spring resists the movement of the spool towards the base of the post when a person presses the button. The member has a first end with a linking means and a second end fixed to the spool. The member winds upon the spool in many turns, and then passes through the exit in the rim. The first end of the member removably links to a ring fixed to the rim of the casing opposite the exit. Upon reaching the desired length of the member, the casing removably locks the spool with tabs from the second side projecting into the casing and the spool. A wearer secures the member to furniture such as chairs or fixtures such as a closet bar. After use, the member retracts into the casing so that the garment lock fits into a pocket of a garment.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a casing that attaches to a garment with a pin, a hook and loop fastener, or a magnet; a member that is a wire, a chain, or metal tape, coated or uncoated; a first end of the member that is a shackle or a clip; and the rim may also have an attached tab, wire, or loop to secure the first end of the member. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved garment lock that has all of the advantages of the prior art locks for garments and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved garment lock that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved garment lock that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such garment lock economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new garment lock that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a garment lock for securing garments with a retractable wire. This allows compact storage and ready transport of the present invention.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a garment lock for securing garments with a retractable wire. This makes it possible to secure garments to a variety of furniture and fixtures.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a garment lock for securing garments with a retractable wire. This makes it possible to attach the casing removably to a garment.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method for deterring theft of garments by the following steps: extending a wire from within a casing; threading the wire through the first sleeve of a garment; securing the casing to the inside of the garment; passing the wire around a solid object; threading the wire through a second sleeve of the garment; then securing the wire to the casing.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.